Gas-governor



(No Model.)

o. A. SWITZER.

GAS GOVERNOR.

No. 57?;992. Patented Mar. 2,1897.

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UNITED STATESI @PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLESA. SVVITZER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GAS-GOVERNOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,992, dated March 2, 1897. Application tiled July 20,1896. Serial No. 599,905. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may con/cern:-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. SWITZER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GaseGovernors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas-governors; and my invention consists in certain features of novelty hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure I represents a vertical section taken on line I I, Fig. IV. Fig. II is a detail View showing the top portion of the casing broken away, with the governing-float in position on the valve-stem. Fig. III is a bottom view. Fig. IV represents a side elevation, showing a portion of the casing broken away. Fig. V is atransverse section taken on lineV V, Fig. I. Fig. VI is a transverse section taken on line VI VI, Fig. I. Fig. VII is a side elevation of the relief-spring. Fig. VIII is a vertical section taken on line VIII VIII, Fig. IV.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the outer casing which incloses the governing device.

2 represents the gas-inlet, and 3 the gasoutlet.

4 represents the governing float or disk, consisting of a top convexconcave section 5 and an annular vertical 'flange 6. Thevertical flange 6, which is an integral part of the body 5, extends downwardly into an annular recess or chamber 7, said recess 7 serving to hold mercury, as shown at 8, the mercury being intended to form a seal around the flan ge 6 to prevent the escape of gas.

9 represents the upper section of a valvestem 10, said valve-stem being adj ustably secured to the float 4 near its upper end by means of nuts 11 12. The lower end of the section 10 of the valve-stem is tapped into a hollow sleeve 13.

14 represents a lower section of the valvestem, the section 14 extending into the hollow sleeve 13, with which it is loosely connected, and secured therein by means of a nut 15, Fig. VIII.

16 represents a screw-plug at the lower end of the sleeve 13,'by which access may be had to the interior of the sleeve.

17 represents an annular spring placed within the sleeve 13.

18 represents a valve composed of a convex disk 19, having outwardly-extending flanges 2O and a vertical annular flange 21.

22 represents a screw-plug, which is screwthreaded and adapted to be secured to the bottom of the casing 1, as shown at 23. The plug 22 has an inner annular wall 24 and an outer wall 25 with an intervening annular chamber 26, intol which the flanges 21 of the valve extend, said chamber 26 serving to hold mercury to prevent the escape of gas around the valve.

27 represents a chamber in the central portion of the plug22, said chamber extending to a point near the top of said plug.

28 represents an annular groove formed in the plug 22 at its inner end for the purpose of holding a series of balls 29.

30 represents an extension on the lower end of the valve-stem extending through a recess 31 in the upper end of the plug 22. Said extension 30 and the balls which are located around the lower end of the valve-stem serve to guide the same and keep it in vertical alinement. Flanges 20 extend out beyond the vertical annular flanges 21 and the annular chamber 26, thus preventing any discharge of sediment into the mercury-chamber. y

32 represents a central opening through a cross-plate 33 of the valve-casing, said opening 32 admitting of the discharge of gas, and the walls surrounding the stem serving as a seat for the valve 18.

34L represents the gas-chamber, and 34 the governing chamber, said chambers being separated by a dome-shaped disk 35, the disk 35 having a central aperture 36, through which the upper section 9 of the valve-stem extends.

37 represents balls surrounding the upper section of the valve-stem, said balls resting in an annular groove 38, thus forming a frictionless guide for the upper end of the valvestem.

35a represents a recess or pocket located in the disk 35, said pocket being for the purpose of holding a mercury-cup 39, the upper end of said cup 39 conforming to the convex upper side of the disk 35, the bottom of said cup being formed of a screw-plug 40, which may be removed when iilling the cup with mercury. The bottom of the mercury-cup 39 is provided with an aperture 41, in which is located a valve 42, the stem of said valve being somewhat longer than the aperture in which it is located, with the result that when the cup is placed in position in the pocket 38 the valve-stem, coming in contact with the bottom of the pocket, raises the valve and permits the mercury to escape into said` pocket, the pocket a connecting with the mercury-chamber 7 at 43, the mercury-cup always affording an eXtra supply of mercury, so that the mercury in the chamber 7 never falls below a certain point in said chamber, as when the atmosphere is allowed to enter the mercury-cup a fresh supply is forced out and runs into the chamber 7.

44 represents a pocket similar to the pocket 35, said pocket 44 being located in the plug 22. 45 represents a mercury-cup adapted to be placed in said pocket, said mercury-cup having a screw-plu g in its bottom and a valve 47, adapted to operate in the same manner as the valve 42, and thus supply mercury to the annular chamber 26, in which the valve 18 operates. To prevent too sudden a closing of the valve 18, I divide the valvestem into sections, connecting them by the hollow sleeves 13, as described, with a coil-spring therein to prevent shock or too rapidly a closing of the valve, the lower section 14 of the valve-stem operating loosely in said sleeve, as before described.

48 represents a cap on the top of the casing, which is secured thereto by means of ears 49, engaging lugs 50 on the casing. rlhe lower section 14 of the valve-stem is adjustably secured to the valve 18 by means of nuts 51.

The valve closes partially when there is too `great a pressure of gas. For instance, if there is a sudden pressure of gas above the normal the float 4 will of course be forced upward, and if the valve-stem were all of one piece then the valve 18 would travel upward at the same rate of speed as the float 4, which would reduce the passage of gas past the valve 18 too rapidly. To avoid this, a sleeve 13 is secured to the bottom of the stem 9, and

the stem 14 has its upper end working loosely in said sleeve. The coil-spring 17 has its lower end connected with the nut 15 on the upper end of the stem 14, the upper end 0f said spring being suitably connected to the top of the sleeve 13. Now as the float 4 shoots upward, carrying with it the stem 9 and the sleeve 13, the tendency of the valvestem 14, which is loosely connected in the sleeve, will be to travel upwardly more slowly than the stem 9,and this will distend or stretch the spring 17. When the Iioat 4 has reached its upward limit, the valve-stem 9 of course stops, and the contracting of the spring 17 will pull upward on the stem 14 and gradu ally raise the valve 18 until it is the same distance from the float 4 as it was before the oat 4 was raised by the pressure of the gas, so that the space between the top of the valve 18 and its seat will be then gradually lessened and the passage of gas correspondingly retarded.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a gasgovernor the combination, of a suitable casin ghavin g gas inlet and discharge openings, a gas-chamber, a governing-chamber, a partition located between said chambers, a pocket in said partition, and a mercury containing reservoir located in said pocket, substantially as set forth.

2. In a gas-governor the combination, of a suitable casing, a lioat, a valve, a stem connecting the float with the valve, a plug secured to the casing and having a pocket, a mercury-holding reservoir resting in said pocket, and an annular mercury -holding chamber having connection with said reservoir, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the pressure-float 4, having stem 9, the sleeve 13 fixed to 'said stem 9, the valve 18 having stem 14, working in said sleeve, and the spring connected at its respective ends to the sleeve and stem 14, for drawing said stems together with a yielding pressure, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHARLES A. SWITZER.

lVi'tnesses:

JAs. E. KNIGHT, J. W. KEMP. 

